Antral Follicle Count Could Predict Menopause

It has always been difficult to predict menopause although many tests have been used to detect the onset of menopause. In the past the FSH test used to be the commonest test which often increased once menopause was almost due.

In recent times the Menopause Journal published in March 2013 that, counting the follicles may predict menopause. Researchers examined the relationship between what we call the Antral Follicle Count (AFC) and the onset of natural menopause where egg production stops. In this study the antral follicle count was measured in 2002., 2003 and the repeated in 2009. The researchers (Vanderbilt Unversity) reported that when the antral follicle count was four or less, menopause was nearly twice as likely to occur compared to those women where the AFC was greater than four. Thus, this suggests that it would be a useful tool in predicting the timing of natural menopause and may also help in predicting the natural decline of fertility.